Local History

One family and three photographers — Addison Scurlock and his sons, Robert and George—shared nine decades of documenting Black life in Washington, DC. This National Gallery of Art exhibit examines their legacy.

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Josiah Henson Museum & Park tells the story about the life and challenges of Reverend Josiah Henson, enslavement in Maryland, and the ongoing struggles of racial equality and justice.

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Montgomery History collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the histories of all of Montgomery County’s residents.

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Located in the Anacostia neighborhood, the Anacostia Community Museum examines, documents, and interprets the impact of historical and contemporary social issues on urban communities.

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The Alexandria Black History Museum includes the Museum, the Watson Reading Room, and the Alexandria African American Heritage Park.

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The nonprofit Sugarland Ethno-History Project maintains the historic 1893 Sugarland church, the cemetery behind it, and a vast collection of artifacts.

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An app that allows users to experience the U.S. capital by touring 17 local sites that are filled with Indigenous history and importance.

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The first and only museum in our nation’s capital dedicated to the Chinese American story – its history, culture, and voice.

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A lesson on D.C. statehood by Amy Trenkle, a Washington, D.C. based 8th Grade US History Teacher.

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Oral history interviews of 29 significant activists, artists, political leaders, and scholars who helped define the Black Power era in Washington, D.C.

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Black Power in Washington D.C. plots Black Power activism in the District between the years 1961 and 1998.

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The DC History Center deepens understanding of Washington D.C.’s past to connect, empower, and inspire.

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For 40 years photographer Nancy Shia took countless photos of a D.C. community not only in transition, but on the verge of being completely forgotten and erased.

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A mini-unit about identity, power, oppression, democracy, resistance, emancipation, and liberation in Washington, D.C. from 1862 to present.

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Segregation and Desegregation in Fairfax County, Virginia Schools from May 17, 1954 until the start of the 1965-66 school year.

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An exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum which documents the history of resisting gentrification in D.C.

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This lesson introduces students to important historical figures who have had an impact on the history of Washington D.C.

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Lessons and teaching ideas for infusing the history and music of go-go in the classroom.

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Books for the classroom on Washington, D.C.

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Strategies and resources one teacher used for teaching D.C. from a bottom-up perspective.

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A “learn-as-you-go” quiz about D.C. to help fill the gaps in the traditional textbooks and guided tours.

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Photo archives of the Washington Area Spark, a monthly newspaper published from 1971-73.

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A public history project documenting the historic segregation of Washington, D.C.

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A digital project centered on Washington, DC in 1968.

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A virtual tour of the oldest existing street mural in Washington DC, painted in the '70s in a community effort led by artist Carlos Salazar.

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In the 1950’s the VIA provided opportunities to African-American high schools that were otherwise inaccessible due to racial, social and economic barriers.

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